With the 2023 FIBA World Cup coming to an end, that means the 2023-24 Euroleague season is right around the corner. Teams training camps, media days, and pre-season games are already underway.
Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming season.
What is the format and schedule for the 2023-24 Euroleague season?
The 2023-24 Euroleague season is entering its eighth consecutive season with the conventional regular season, playoffs, and Final Four format. The new addition for this season is play-in games, which have been widely successful in the NBA. Euroleague will now utilize the same format, with teams ranked 7-8 and 9-10 facing off in a play-in tournament for the last playoff spot.
Once again, 18 teams are participating in the 2023-24 Euroleague season. There are 12 licensed clubs with long-term licenses and six associated clubs with annual licenses. The regular season will begin on October 5th and run until April 12. All the teams will play each other twice in a home-and-home format.
There will be seven double-game weeks, with four of them taking place between December and January. A two-week break will also begin in early February to allow domestic cup competitions to be played.
The top 6 teams will automatically advance to the playoffs, and teams 7-10 will participate in the first-ever Euroleague play-in tournament. The play-in tournament will take place between April 16-19, and the playoffs will run from April 23 to May 8 depending on how long the series last. The playoffs are best of five series.
The four teams who advance out of the 2024 Euroleague playoff's will participate in the 2024 Euroleague Final Four. The Final Four will be hosted in Berlin, Germany this season and will run from May 24-26.
What are some key games for the 2023-24 Euroleague Regular season?
The first round of the 2023-24 Euroleague Season will feature the highly-anticipated Greek derby, with Panathinaikos hosting Olympiacos at the OAKA Arena in Athens. Olympiacos legend Kostas Sloukas made the controversial transfer to arch-rivals Panathinaikos this summer, and this will be his first time facing his former club in the green and white. Olympiacos will host Panathinaikos on March 14 in Round 29 action.
We will get our first rematch of last season's Euroleague championship game in Round 12 when Olympiacos hosts Real Madrid. Olympiacos will travel to Madrid in Round 23 in January. Reigning champions Real Madrid will be on the road against fellow Spanish club Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on October 6 to begin their season.
Real Madrid will also host the first "El Clasico" rivalry match of the season, facing Barcelona in Madrid for Round 5 action on October 26. Barcelona will host Real Madrid in Round 18 on January 3.
The first Belgrade derby will take place on October 17 in Round 3. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade will host Crvena Zvezda Meridian Bet at the Stark Arena. The reverse fixture will take place on January 4. It is worth noting that both teams will play their games at the Stark Arena this season.
Nikola Mirotic and Olimpia Milano will tip off their season on October 6 on the road against Fenerbahce. Kemba Walker and AS Monaco will travel to Valencia for their season opener on October 6, and Jabari Parker and Barcelona will host Anadolu Efes Istanbul on October 5 for their Euroleague season opener.
What are some predictions for the 2023-24 Euroleague season?
The 2023-24 Euroleague season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in history. Some would say as many as 11 teams could be good enough to qualify for the 2024 Euroleague Final Four, which means that as many as three of these teams won't even make the playoffs and one won't make the play-in tournament.
Returning champions Real Madrid are the favorites on DraftKings at +450, with Panathinaikos and AS Monaco behind them at +550. Olympiacos and Fenerbahce round out the top 5 at +800. Olimpia Milano is a good bet at +1100 even after adding Mirotic this offseason, and Partizan Belgrade at +1600 is not a bad long-shot bet. Neither is Maccabi Tel Aviv at the same odds, or Crvena Zvezda at +2000.